Polishing apparatus



Jan. 25, 1944. e. L. LEITHISER 2,340,130

POLISHING APPARATUS Filed April 6, 1943 3/ -35 I i ll 6 l I I n 34 o I 1;34 o o I N .1; 1 o

.r Inventor":

George L. Leithiser;

His Attorneg.

Patented Jan. 25, 1944 POLISHING APPARATUS George L. Leithiser, York, Pa., asslgnor to General Electric Company, a corporation of New York Application April 6, 1943, Serial No. 481,977

Claims.

This invention relates to polishing apparatus, more particularly to apparatus for polishing a. wire, and it has for its object the provision of improved apparatus of this character which can be used universally to treat wires having various cross-sectional shapes.

While not limited thereto, this invention is particularly applicable to forming and polishing electrical insulation, such as asbestos in flocculent form, on a conducting wire, and it contemplates such apparatus which will impart a rotary forming and polishing motion to the surfaces of the insulation as the wire is drawn through the apparatus.

In accordance with this invention in one form thereof, an elastic forming and polishing member is provided; it may be formed of any suitable material, but preferably will be made of soft rubber. It is annular in form, and its opening has a circumference substantially the same as the required perimeter of the finished insulated wire.

the wire with a loose fiocculent mass of the in sulating material thereon may be drawn through the opening. Adjustable means are provided for forcing the polishing member inwardly toward the wire so that'it takes substantially the same shape as has the cross-section of the wire. Means are provided for continuously rotating the polishing member about the wire to eil'ect the forming and polishing action as the wire is drawn through the apparatus.

For a more complete understanding of this invention, reference should be had to the accompanying drawing in which Fig. 1 is a front elevation of apparatus embodying this invention; Fig.

2 is a sectional view taken through the line 2-2 a of Fig. 1 and-looking in the direction of the arrows; Fig. 3 is a sectional view taken through the line 3-3 of Fig. 2 and looking in the direction of the arrows, parts being broken away so as to illustrate certain details of construction; Fig. 4 is an enlarged end view of one particular wire which may be treated by this polishing machine; Fig. 5 is an enlarged elevation of the polishing member using the apparatus of Figs. 1-3; and Fig. 6 is a diagrammatic view illustrating the polishing apparatus and its relation to the wire drawn through it.

Referring to the drawing, this invention has been shown in one form as applied to polishing apparatus for forming and polishing insulation, such as fiocculent asbestos, upon the surface of an electrically conducting wire. As shown in apparatus H is drawn longitudinally through the apparatus by means of a drive roll [2, the wire being fed from a supply roll I3. The wire III, as shown, has an elongated rectangular cross-section, but it is to be understood that this wire is shown merely as an example, and that the machine may be used to polish Wires which are circular in cross-section, square in cross-section, or

I able apparatus not disclosed is transferred to the Moreover, it is supported so that Fig. 6, the wire In which will be polished by the surface of the wire ID in a light flufiy mass and is whirled around the wire until the insulating material has roughly a circular cross-section. The insulating material in this form is shown at the left ,side of the apparatus shown in Fig. 2.

It is the function of the apparatus of this invention to shape or form this mass around the wire and to condense it so that a covering is provided about the wire which is substantially uniform in thickness and density.

The apparatus comprises a polishing member or gland [4 formed of a resilient material, such as rubber. This member I4 is annular in shape. Its central opening I5 has a circumference which is substantially equal in length to the required perimeter of the cross-section of the finished insulated wire 10. When a wire of different size is to be treated a different gland M will be used so that in any case the circumference of its central opening will substantially equal the required perimeter of the finished wire.

It is contemplated that the wire II) with the flocculent mass of insulating material i3a applied to it will be drawn continuously through the opening I5 of the gland, and that the gland will be deformed by pressure means so that it assumes in general the cross-sectional shape of the wire being polished. It is further contemplated that as the wire 10 is drawn through the machine the member M will be continuously rotated around the wire so as to effect the polishing and condensing action on the insulating material. Preferably, the gland'will be provided with a tapered or flared surface I5a at the entrance to the opening I 5 in order to facilitate the entrance of the insulating material into the opening.

The gland I4 is deformed and it is rotated by means of a plurality of rollers l6, l1, I8 and I9 spaced circumferentially around the axis of movement of the wire, that is, around the polishing gland I4, as shown in Fig. 1. These'rollers are mounted upon shafts 20, 2|, 22 and 23 respectively which in turn are secured to blocks 24, 26, 26 and 21 respectively. These blocks are mounted upon a suitable combined standard and casing section 26.

This section comprises a base 29, an upright wall 30 mounted on the base, and a plurality of spaced plates 31. The blocks 24-31 are mounted in guides 32, 33, 3 4 and35 respectively which. are

rigidly secured to the upright wall 30 and the guides are so positioned that the various blocks are adjustable radially with reference to the axis of movement of the wire. The blocks are moved in their guides by means of adjusting screws 36, 31, 36 and 39 respectively. Handwheels 46 and 41 are attached to the two screws 36 and 31 and these two screws are mechanically interconnected with their oppositely positioned screws 38 and 39 respectively through outer and inner sets of bevel gears 42 and 43, as shown. It will be observed that the screw 36 has a driving connection with the screw 38 through the gear set 43, the two screws being keyed to two opposed gears of this gear set, and these two opposed gears being interconnected through a pair of opposed idler gears of this gear set mounted on the screws 31 and 39. In a similar way the screws 31 and 33 are keyed to the opposed gears of the inner gear set 43 which are interconnected by the opposed pair of idler gears of this set mounted on the shafts 36 and 36. Therefore, the two rollers 16 and 18 mounted on blocks 24 and 26 are simultaneously adjusted by the handwheel 46, while the two rollers 11 and 19 mounted on blocks 26 and 21 are simultaneously adjusted by means of the handwheel 41.

All of the rollers are simultaneously revolved in the same direction by means of a driving belt 44 which passes over a pulley 45, that is, rigidly attached to the roller 16, as shown in Fig. 2. Also attached to this roller is a second pulley 46 which functions to drive the remaining rollers by means of a belt 41 that passes over pulleys 46, one each of which is secured to the remaining rollers 16, 11 and 19.

Preferably, the combined base and easing will be closed at the front by means of a cover 49 which is rigidly secured to the base 29 and plates 31 by means of screws 56. It will be observed that this cover is provided with elongated openings 51 through which the various shafts 20-23 supporting the rollers 16-19 project and which permit the radial adjustment of the rollers with reference to the wire Preferably, the wire I will be directed through a tube 62 interposed between the upright wall 36 and the front wall 49, as shown in Fig. 2, and preferably this tube also will be used to support the inner ends of the various screws 36-39, also as shown in this figure.

Preferably. the drivirg rollers 16-19 will be provided with fluted surfaces 53 so that they have a more positive driving action on the polishing member 14.

In use, it will be understood that the pol shing gland 14 of the proper size will be selected as required by the cross-sectional perimeter of the finished wire, and that the wire then will be threaded through the apparatus and through the gland. Then the handwheels 46 and 4| will be operated to adjust the positions of the deforming and driving rollers Iii-19 so that the gland is forced to assume in general the crosssectional shape of the wire. as shown in Fig. 1. When this has been done the machine is started so that the wire 19' with the insulating material 13a applied to in the manner previously described is drawn through at a uniform rate, and so that the rollers 16-16 are revolved to turn the polishing gland.14- at high speed. -The translatory movement of the wire .with reference to the polishing member, and the rotary move ment of the polishing member about the wire combine to condense, form and polish the "outer surfaces of the insulating material. By these actions, the insulating material is pressed down onto the wire and is formed about it so that a uniform coating of insulating material is formed on the wire.

This apparatus will form such a coating, irrespective of the cross-sectional shape of the wire.

It is to be understood that this apparatus also may be used as a polisher for polishing a wire which has an insulating varnish coating. In this case also the circumference of the opening 16 in the gland 14 will equal the required perimeter of the finished .wire.

While I have shown a particular embodiment of my invention, it will be understood, of course, that I do not wish to be limited thereto since many modifications may be made, and I, therefore, contemplate by the appended claims to cover any such modifications as fall within the true spirit and scope of my invention.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is:

1. Wire polishing apparatus comprising an elastic polishing member having an aperture therein for receiving the wire, the perimeter of the aperture thereof being substantially equal to the required perimeter of the finished wire, and adjustable pressure means acting on the outer perimeterical surface of said member for forcing itto assume the general shape of the cross-section of said wire, and means for rotating said member around the wire.

2. Apparatus for forming and polishing flocculent insulating material upon the surface of a wire comprising means for longitudinally moving said wire with a loose flocculent coating of said material thereon, an elastic annular polishing member, the circumference of the opening thereof being substantially equal to the required perimeter of the finished insulated wire and through which opening the wire with said coating is moved, a plurality of rolls, means for adjusting the positions of said rolls so that they press said polishing member at a plurality of spaced points along its outer perimeter to cause it to assume in general the cross-sectional shape of the wire, and means for rotating said rolls to cause said polishing member to rotate around said wire.

3. Apparatus for forming and-polishing flocculent insulating material upon the surface of a wire comprising means for longitudinally moving said wire with a loose coating of said insulating material thereon, an elastic annular polishing member, the circumference of the opening thereof being substantially equal to the required perimeter of the finished insulated wire and through which opening the wire with said coating is moved, a plurality of rolls, means for adjusting the positions of said rolls so that they press said polishing member at a plurality of spaced points along its outer perimeter to cause it to assume in general the cross-sectional shape of the wire, said rolls being provided with driving treads engaging said polishing member and means for rotating said rolls to cause said polishing member to rotate to form and condense said coating on said wire.

allel to the line of movement of the wire, ad-

justing screws for adjusting the positions of said slides respectively, means for adjusting certain of said screws, gear means connecting said screws in pairs with the screws of other 0! said slides so that oppositely positioned rolls are simultaneously adjusted, the rolls being adjustable to deform said polishing member to assume the general cross-sectional shape of the wire, and driving means for rotating said rolls to cause said polishing member to rotate around; ;said wire-and thereby condense and form a coatin'g'of' said insulating material of materially reduced thickness on said wire.

5. Wire polishing apparatus for condensing and forming flocculent fibrous material on a wire comprising means for advancing said wire 1ongitudinally, an annular rubber polishing gland through the opening of which said wire with a loose mass of said fibrous material thereon passes, said opening having a circumference substantially equal to the required perimeter of the finished coated wire, adjustable means for applying a pressure to the outer perimetrical surface of said gland so as to force said gland to assume the general shape of the cross section of said wire, and means for rotating said gland, the translatory motion of said wire and rotary motion of said gland condensing and distributing said fibrous material into 'a compact uniform coating on said conductor.

1 GEORGE L. LEI'I'HISER. 

